This blog will be about all three of the advertised things, but rolled into one. Efficiency!

After a couple of years of making fun of me for my obsession*, my girlfriend decided that she wanted to watch Cowboy Bebop. Interestingly enough, I was hesitant to let her watch it, because it almost felt like an encroachment into my sanctuary. I get that way about my loved medias (think Gail Wynand from The Fountainhead, but with no money) for a variety of reasons that are probably much more poignant and interesting than what I'm going to proceed to talk about, but avoidance is by far my favorite form of coping so shut up.

*I had the same old, fuzzy Cowboy Bebop desktop for over a year until just recently and I had another one before that one. Yoko Kanno's brilliant Cowboy Bebop OSTs make up a large portion of my music listening -- in fact, one of her compositions is playing in my head right now. Via Pandora, not questionable sanity. Of the five CDs I keep in my car, the first four are the four Cowboy Bebop OSTs.

Back on point, with one disc left (four episodes), everything has gone swell. Initially, she was just going to watch, yet I couldn't bring myself to do other things while they were on, so I'm once again completely enraptured and engulfed by the world of Cowboy Bebop. Which is why when I say "everything has gone swell," I mean with respect to me. The last time I ran through the series was probably about two years ago and it still captures my attention so fully, to the point where I'm not even sure she's enjoying what she's been watching over the last few days, but I sure as hell am having fun (I know what you're thinking, "Does this tie back to the other thing you were avoiding coming to terms with and exploring earlier?" Well, if I acknowledged that line of inquiry, it wouldn't be avoidance, would it? Idiot)

That being said, because I know Cowboy Bebop is an unparalleled, unequaled work of genius, I'll just work off the assumption that she's head over heels in love. Here comes the tricky part. There are only four episodes left. That same sense of fear and foreboding that I can't escape every time I run through the series is back. "Oh, that's right...the series ends," followed by, "Oh, that's right, it ends LIKE THAT" (spoiler-free!).

I've carried that weight time and time again, but it's odd that I'm going to have to do it with another person by my side. It...changes things. Usually I'm uncomfortable with the prospect of playing the final episodes because of the content, not because of a threatening, wholly new experience. What's going to happen? What will her response be? Might any of this tarnish my enjoyment of the series, or perhaps bring an inappropriate levity to it all? (I know what you're thinking. My response? PIPE DOWN, YOU! A-V-O-I-D-A-N-C-E)

Maybe I should just have her watch the last disc alone, and then I'll do the same -- after all, I can't leave the re-re-re-re-re-re-re-watch incomplete. In my defense, she laughed at me for crying after Schindler's List, the shrewd, heartless vixen. (If your skills in deduction are not sharp, the ending of Cowboy Bebop leaves me bawling like a child who just watched his mother get hit by a train. Irreparably disconsolate).

So, less fluidly, I also admit that I cry a lot. For whatever reason, never in real life situations (maybe it's all those awesome coping mechanisms -- take that, you inquisitional interrupters!), but seemingly at the drop of a hat when it comes to works of fiction. Books, movies, video games -- even some of the less poignant of the bunch (it seems to be "in" to admit you cried at the end of Toy Story 3, but it's less impressive to admit to crying after the Futurama episode "Jurassic Bark." Pansy). They just hit me like a teeth-shattering lead pipe shattering and I become a blubbering emotional wreck. It's awesome (/deflectionthroughlevity).

So, introducing someone to something you hold dear, crying over works of fiction, and why Cowboy Bebop is still one of the best things ever created. Feel free to discuss any of these things, especially the last one! But let's avoid discussing you-know-what.

I've been anxiously awaiting this game since it was first announced for Japan, so I'm definitely getting it, but I'm torn on the Deluxe Edition. I typically don't go for those deluxe edition bundles, no matter how cool they seem at first, because I figure the novelty wears off quickly (depending on the edition, mind you) and I'm stuck with more stuff (which I need less of) and less money (which I need more of). Still, in this case, it's all fairly practical things, which is interesting.

Deluxe edition is 80USD, but Atlus is also offering an incentive to pre-order, as those who pre-order (either the deluxe or standard edition) receive a 36-page full-color art book and an 11-track CD featuring tracks from the game specially remixed by the composer.

Heck, I don't even know if I'll have my PS3 fixed by July, but I can dream, right? (Be tee dubs, if anyone in the SF Bay Area can reflow a PS3, please let me know. It's on its 3rd yellow light, but I just need it running long enough to do a data transfer utility to its unopened replacement I bought in November...)

So, went to my first Wondercon today. Saw Greg Miller around the Marvel space, heart sunk a bit, I shuffled about next to him trying to ascertain the best way to approach him, then he began working, so I waited. When I turned back around to check up on him for the 7th suspicious time, averting my attention away from the Thor trailer, he was gone! Like a ghost! Or Keyser Soze! I was the awkward one in the pink shirt next to you in front of the Wii version of Captain America, Greg. You're much taller than I expected you to be!

Anyways, that spawned this account. Though I was hoping there was a private message system so I could get that message out covertly and not have to look silly publicly. Instead, this admission will make for my introductory blog post. Here's to relative consistency for a short while onward that slowly gives way to more and more infrequency in posting. Hooray realism!

Wondercon recap. A lot of walking and standing. It seemed packed early this morning (around 10), but that was nothing by evening time, where lines for events were wrapped as far as various realities like an Escher painting - you could turn around seven corridors and not see the ends of lines. Speaking of which, I was apparently among the first in the world to get a peak at footage from the upcoming movie The Immortals, accidentally (I wandered into the line). With all the hullabaloo around it, I was decidedly underwhelmed. Also, the sound in the room was set way too high, so the so-last-year resounding bass rattled your ribcage, while the actors' dialogue was almost impossible to decipher. Smooth.

Also, I avoided squandering copious amounts of monies over the day, which was impressive. A couple shirts (Japanese Batman symbol, Official Wondercon 25th Anniversary shirt) and a cheap Final Fantasy trading arts figure (I got Tifa! Was hoping for either her or Basch or Ashe. Wouldn't have minded Auron, didn't really want Squall) were the extent of my purchases, though I did tens of thousands of dollars worth of window shopping. That 350$ super-limited edition, giant-sized "Masterpiece Arts" Cloud statue was heavenly. So was that 1:60 scale model of Kaneda and his bike (Akirai). Oh, and the...nevermind, I'll stop before I list the entire convention's inventory.

Swag was...eh. A lot of posters I'm not going to do anything with, a couple random pins, a couple random comic issues. Nintendo saved the day, though, by giving out free hats! Seriously! Got a cute little "Nintendo 3DS" beanie upon exiting their space. Plus, while I was there, I got to try out the 3DS and Pilotwings. Loved shooting people at targets out of canons in the N64 version. 3D was okay, but, frankly, I was more impressed by the upgraded resolution/brightness of the screen. The Wii area had assorted Mario sporting competitions while I couldn't get anybody wrestled away from Zelda on the 3DS to give it a go. Played some Street Fighter IV 3D at Capcom's booth. Haven't played IV in some time, but I button-mashed my way through the first round of arcade, then got back into a swing before ultimately failing to Ryu (as Ken). More impressed with them getting it running on the tech so well than with the 3D elements, especially since the 3DS made finding the right viewing angles difficult.

So that's about it, for the people that didn't have a chance to show up. Hopefully I added some nugget of semi-interesting insight (even it was just my bumbling stalking), as I'm sure many other venues have much more in-depth coverage of the event. Maybe I should've shown some pictures...